Book Club Questions for Shadow of The Fox: Honor, Naivety, and Kindness

Mar 12

2 min read

Updated: Aug 6

Age: YA (14+)

Genre: Fantasy

Quick Review of Shadow of The Fox

This YA fantasy novel is saturated in Japanese culture and folklore. Those who love world-building can allow themselves to get swept away by that aspect of the story, but my favorite part is the main character, Yumeko. She’s so beautifully guileless that you can’t help but love her, and her determination to prevail against impossible odds will inspire you long after you finish the book.

Book Club Questions

Why do you think the book starts with Suki’s death even though she’s not a main player in the story?
How is Yumeko’s innocence/naivety both a strength and a weakness?
Daisuke seems to know something is wrong with Lady Satomi and her frequent need for new maids, but he doesn’t do anything about it. What determines whether you intervene in a situation that seems off?
Tanuki-baba tells Yumeko that “it is very hard to be human . . . Even the humans themselves don’t do a great job of it.” Why do you think this is? Tanuki-baba also claims that what humans value usually leads to “suffering and despair.” Do you agree?
How is the meaning of Yumeko’s name, “child of dreams,” fitting for her character?
Tatsumi notes, “To be kind, you have to drop your guard.” Do you think that’s true?
Yumeko and Okame have a conversation about when stray dogs will attack vs. protect a stranger. The following chapter, in which Okame turns on his bandit friends to save Yumeko, is called The Consequences of Crumbs. When have you seen this concept at work in real life?
The book features several people or animals who have become cursed or corrupted through greed or other flaws. Discuss why this concept/motif is important.
The kodama give Tatsumi a special leaf in gratitude for killing the demon bear and restoring balance to the forest. Though you may not have seen a nature spirit, how has nature shown its appreciation when you’ve cared for it?
Honor is a repeated concept in the book, particularly for Tatsumi, Okame, and Daisuke. What does it mean to each of them? What does it mean to you?
The cursed ghost monk says, “even in the face of cruelty, I should not have let my anger consume me so. [The village’s curse] has become my punishment, as well.” How does anger (even when seemingly justified) punish the angry person as much or more than the person at whom it’s directed?
Oni no Mikoto (Daisuke) tells Yumeko, “Those with no passion can never comprehend the drive for perfection.” Do you agree? Have you experienced this?
More than once, Yumeko saves the day through unique solutions, such as asking Oni no Mikoto to postpone his duel or creating an illusion of a rabbit to “tell the future” for the emperor. Discuss the situations in which her sideways approach succeeds over Tatsumi’s head-on approach and vice versa.